The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-10-26
What 10 TO be Seen in 81. Petsrahurg-Tho
Cz,rs Wintsr Ptlsee.
The Fsnors PIciurs Gallery 3: the hermitage
-AoHumshts, Arches, &c.
A Great Fs!s Diy-Russla'S Rsligion-Tns
Cathedral of ST. Isaacs.
Peter the Great and His Peeuliarities-
Places of AR11s Observation-Disclosures
tasnes-Onf0r Moscow.
Moscow. Russia. October l.

81. HereTSDDFG, the great capital Oh all
the Russiss, is a magnificent city of a
million inhabitants, with broad, spacious
rtreets and grand buildings and public
ediEces. The grandeur of its many pala-
tial structures is particularly noticeable,
bat like everything else Russian, there is
an ar of gloomy immensely about them
all
sIsEIs or ST. PETERSBURG THE CAR s WIN
TER PALACE.
Taking the sights in regular order, We
will begin first with the great Emmy
Dvorets," or Winter Palace, the residence
OF his Imperial Majesty the Car. This
immense edifce, situated at the end of the
'Nevski Prospekt," the principal street OF
the city, is one of the most magnificent
royal residences in the world. An idea of
fts grandeur may be formed from the fact
that II is occupied by over seven thousand
persons connected in various capacities
with the Emperor's household. That au-
gust parsonage, it will be observed, does
rot suffer from lack of attendants and is
Lot expected to carry in the winters wood
himself. / doubt if he will even chop
more than half Of it. l can not attempt to
describe the magnihcence of the interior of
this great palace, with its grand salons, its
Eslachite, Jasper and Lapis Lazuli decora-
tions, its royal plate OF gold studded with
precious stones, its marbles, vases, pictures,
etc, gorgeous beyond description. The
collection of crown Jewels contains some
of the most famous gems ever dis
covered; among them being the renowned
Oriof Diamond the largest diamond
in the world; Weighing eight carats more
than the celebrated "kohinoor." This
Jewel was presented to the Empress Cath
crime by Count 0rloff, who gave for it
$500, 600 II cash, an annuity of 81 600 per
year and patent of nobility. It would
make nice little collar button for some
end man with a minstrel show. The
imperial crown contains over forty In
mense diamonds, besides rubies and sap
phires as big as walnuts, The whole col
lection is of the very greatest splendor and
value.
THE WONDERFUL HERMITAGE AND OTHER HIS
ToRICAL PALACES.
The Winter Palace is connected
with another great palace, the famous
Hermitage; and here is to be seen one Of
the finest picture galleries in Europe. l
have seen the great galleries of Florence,
Rome, Dresden and Paris, and to me this
one Is worthy OF place beside them. 1t
comprises some 1900 paintings, and every
school is handsomely represented; but it is
especially rich in works of the great
Spanish and Flemish masters, having over
eighty Ruben's, forty Rembrandt's, thirty
i've Van Dykes, twenty Murillo's and
twelve Telakquez's. There is also q large
Venus of the Hermitage" is exhibited
along with many other noted marbles.
Besides painting and sculpture there are
BumismaIic collections, Scythian antiq-
uities. mosaics, ivory carvings, Greek and
Etruscan vases, etc. In the latter collec-
ton is the celebrated vase found at Came,
called tie liking OF Vases" One room is
known as the Gallery of Peter the Great
and is filed with articles formerly
the property of this wonderful man. The
Hermitage is one of the handsomest places
Of Europe and wss built by tine famous
Catherine III. This remarkable woman
had some rather peculiar ideas on the sub
ject of m orahty, perhaps, but she was GER
Iianly the greatest sovereign Russia hss
ever known, after Peter the great. Here,
eveTJ evening she called about her q circle
of brilliant men-renowned in war litera-
ture, art and science-and discussed the stir
ring topics OF the day with them. These
gatherings were rather lively at times aud
the set Of rules posted up for the govern
ment of her visitors were OF a very original
character, the last and probably in some
cases most important, being: Tell no tales
out OF School," Near the Hermitage rises
the handsome MARBLE Palace" built by
Catherine for Prince Orloff, and she erect
ed the "Taurida Palace another grand
building for her noted favorite Prince Po-
temkin. The "Annitchkoff Palace" ia
vored residence of the late unfortunate
Gar, is in the "Nevsd Prospekt," and al
most opposite my hotel stands the Mich
ialoff Palace" built by the Emperor Paul,
but now occupied oy one OF the Dowager
Grand Duchesses. The room in which
Paul died is walled up,-it appearing to be
custom in Russia not to enter rooms in
which parents have died, when it can be
avoided.
GRAND MONUMENTS, TRIUAPHAL ARCHES, ETC.
In the public square behind the
Winter Palace stands one of the han isom-
est monuments ia Europe, q red granite
monolith eighty-four feet hight, erected to
the memory Of Alexander l. Another
magnificent monument Of most original
and striking design is that OF Peter the
Great, which stands near the handsome
Admiralty buildings; and q short distance
beyond is fine statue of Nicholas the
grandfather of the present Emperor. Cath
crime H., has monument in the Nevski
Prospekt, and there is another to MARSHALL
Suwarrow in the Champ de Mars. There
are also two grand triumphal arches in the
Capital, the Moscow Gate and the arch
of Nsrya," erected to commemorate the
glories of the Russian armies in Turkey,
Persia, Poland, Sweden and France Ooe
OF the most interesting places in st. Peters
burg is the museum of imperial carriages,
where are kept the splendid equipsges
that have been used by the various SOW
ereigns of Russia. One particularly inter
estiBg vehicle is sledge made entirely by
Peter the Great himself, for his own par
sonal use. Ii is kept enclosed in q glass
case TO protect it from injury. One room
is completely filed with gold and silver
mounted harness. and another with rich
livery for the 500 employees. The imperial
stables contain some 300 carriage horses
besides 80 used only for the saddle. The
Gar might turn an honest penny, when
the emperor business is little dull, by
opening livery stable. st. Petersburg is
well supplied with public conveyances,
and there is no more unique figure than
the Droschke driver, with with his low,
four-vheeled droschke, his 1.-THE, active
little horse with the arched "Corot' or
..Dugo" rising over the collar, and his
long, broad-skirted frock or coat reaching
down to his heels, which at q short distance
makes him very much resemble woman
in his general appearance. There are ten
thousand OF these droschkes in 81. Peters
burg and they dash about the city with
astonishing rapidity. In the country the
fsvorite conveyance is the "tarantass," a
sort OF ehaton without springs and drawn
by three horses abreast with bells tus.
pended over their heads.
eREAT gETE DAY-THE RELIGION OF THE